Firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) successfully contained a major vehicular fire involving a petrol tanker at Asutuare Junction on Sunday morning, preventing further escalation despite the complete destruction of the vehicle.
The emergency began in the early hours of June 28, when the GNFS received a distress call at 04:41 hours reporting a fire engulfing an unidentified MAN diesel petrol tanker.
Recognising the volatile nature of the cargo, a multi-station response was immediately triggered, drawing resources from across the region.
A total of four fire engines were deployed to battle the blaze. The Somanya Base Pump was the first to arrive on the scene at 05:03 hours, followed closely by crews from the Volta River Authority (VRA) at 05:20 hours.
As the operation intensified, additional support arrived from Akosombo at 05:53 hours and Gbetsile at 05:55 hours.
Under the coordinated leadership of Station Officer II Achisey (Somanya), Assistant Station Officer T. Amu (Akosombo), Assistant Divisional Officer I Bless K. Danquah (Gbetsile), and Station Officer I Bomas Kakraba (VRA), the teams managed to bring the raging fire under control by 06:03 hours.
The blaze was fully extinguished at 06:30 hours.
Despite the swift containment strategy, the intense heat and nature of the fuel meant the tanker and its entire cargo were completely destroyed.
The incident resulted in two casualties.
The driver of the tanker was reported dead at the scene. The driver’s mate survived the initial blast but sustained injuries and was rushed to the Akuse Hospital by officers from the Ghana
Police Service’s Akuse District division, who were also present to manage security and traffic.
According to a statement filed by the Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS on Wednesday, the exact cause of the fire remains unknown and is currently under active investigation.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana